Torture KillerSwarm!

This little-known Finnish band have undergone a sort of reverse Rock Star story: what started as a Six Feet Under sound-alike band piqued the interest of SFU front-man Chris Barnes so much that hes now joined Torture Killer full time as main vocalist. Swarm! is the outcome, which is a boon for fans of both Barnes and TK, though Barnes debilitating vox is the only caveat. After the instrumental title track merely scratches the surface of what lies within, "Forever Dead ends up sounding like an outtake of Six Feet Unders sessions for Haunted, from Barnes one-dimensional barks to guitarist Jari Laines Allen West-styled dive-bombing solos. "Sadistic and "Cannibal Gluttony add a fresher pulse to oldie-mouldy Obituary riffs, but again theres mixed results: though the musicianship is prime  especially Tuomo Latvalas calculated drum fills  Barnes singing isnt up to snuff. Disregarding his sloppily sung verses, the choruses and bridges of "Multiple Counts of Murder are particularly solid: Barnes classic SFU delivery with tinges of Katatonia/Daylight Dies type chords from guitarist Tuomas Karppinen. The jurys still out as to why Barnes shoved his hand in this rotting pie in the first place, and where this involvement leaves SFUs wheezing death machine. In the meantime, Swarm! (with Wes Benscoter cover art, too) is the best music from Barnes since 1997s Warpath, even though his voice is the worst part of it.
(Metal Blade)